A Roundup of Tips and Info About Furry Friends

Like so many others, I adore my pets as part of the family. Right now, I have one 4-year-old cat named Barley, but last year my fiancé and I had to say goodbye to our very old and very beautiful cat named Fife. Both of these pets have brought so much joy and laughter to my life. Because Care2 is such an animal-friendly place, I thought you all might enjoy this roundup of tips and interesting facts about pets.

1. Pets and Your Health

Having pets has been shown to lower blood pressure, reduce stress and lengthen life expectancy. Whether you’re a senior or a child (or anywhere in between), a pet can have an incredibly positive effect on you—plus, of course, by having a pet and taking good care of it, you’re giving a furry friend a home. Learn more about pets and your health in the article Health Benefits of Pet Ownership.

2. Choose the Right Food

Choosing pet foods for your dog or cat can be a pretty intimidating experience. There are so many options out there, and it’s not easy to determine how true claims like “natural” and “healthy” are on a pet food label. Many contain additives that aren’t good for pet health. Learn the basics of choosing a good pet food in Choose the Best Cat and Dog Food.

3. Keeping Pets Healthy

I’ve dealt with my fair share of pet illness. Fife had many vet visits in her later years, and last year we found out that Barley has a genetic condition that makes her prone to bladder stones. She’s already had one surgery for stones, and she’s a pretty young kitty. The article Healthy Pet Advice provides tips on some basic pet health issues, including helping cats cope with moving, sneezing dogs, destructive behavior in cats, the causes of kennel cough, and pet oral hygiene.

4. Cat Care

If you have a cat or are thinking about making a feline a part of your family, it’s always good to brush up on common kitty ailments. The very interesting article Caring for a Cat follows veterinarian Jon Geller as he discusses the case of one feline patient over 15 years to share common cat health problems and how to prevent and treat them.

5. Pet Population

It’s no secret that there are more pets than there are people taking pets home—which is why it’s so important that there are high-quality shelters and humane societies out there taking care of pets in the meantime until they find a home. The most common answers to pet population issues are spaying and neutering—but some object to these practices. It is possible for a male pet to have a vasectomy and a female a Fallopian tubal ligation instead. These are procedures that don’t “de-sex” the animals. Learn more in Pet Overpopulation Solutions.